Forbidden Love
by Athena2008
Summary: Spoilers for Continuum. Sam and alternate Jack bump into each other and talk. S/J
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story contains spoliers for Stargate: Continuum. Sam runs into the alternate timeline Jack. This chapter is from Sam's perspective and will be followed by the same story from Jack's perspective.

It does contain the S/J ship in a way...

I hope that you enjoy it. And feedback is, as always, much appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the following story.

* * *

Sam Carter didn't know what she was doing. Her life had been a blur for the past few months, since she, Mitchell and Daniel had arrived in this alternate timeline. She wandered around the local strip mall aimlessly, not interested in buying any of the frivolous items that she saw in store windows.

She could not help but mourn for the life that she had had. True enough, losing her command had been a blow, but at least she had been someone in her timeline. Here she was the non-descript astronaut look alike who couldn't even leave her house without some form of Clark Kent-like disguise. But more than the frustration that she felt at being able to do nothing, she missed her friends. She missed movie nights with her team, she missed laying under the stars on other planets. And she missed Jack.

Tears came to her eyes as the image of him as he lay dying floated into her head. She pushed the memory away. She hadn't allowed herself to give much thought to it; she couldn't, or she knew that it would consume her.

She checked her face in the next storefront. Some tears had managed to escape her eyes. She brushed them away furiously and turned away from the store. The sight that met her caused her stomach to drop.

Jack O'Neill was standing twenty feet away, looking into the window of the next store.

Sam immediately began to move forward but then stopped. She knew that she wasn't supposed to talk to him, but beyond that, he had another life here. This was not her Jack, and nothing would change that. His wife and he were probably still together. But she still wanted to move forward. She wanted to talk to him, to be around him again.

He turned and saw her. She could see him hesitate before he moved towards her. _I guess I have no choice now_, Sam thought to herself, unsure of whether she was happy about that or not.

"Hi," he said as he stopped just two feet in front of her.

"Hi," Sam replied, making as little eye contact as possible.

Jack ran a hand through his hair, a gesture reminiscent of the Jack O'Neill that she had known. Sam looked away as tears threatened her once more.

The two stood there awkwardly for minutes as eager shoppers walked past them in either direction.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked at length.

"I could ask you the same thing," Jack responded.

"I live a few blocks away. And I needed something to pass the time," she said, motioning towards the shop fronts behind her.

"I'm at the base for a few days. I was looking for something for my kid." Jack looked around at the crowd and then turned back to Sam. "Look, can we go somewhere and talk?"

"I'm not supposed to talk to you," Sam said, though she knew perfectly well what Jack would say to that.

"What they don't know…" Jack turned and led the way to a coffee house at the corner. They ordered and then found a secluded table and sat.

Both sat silently sipping their coffee.

"What did you want to talk about?" Sam asked.

"How are you?" Jack asked.

Sam blinked. This did not sound like the Jack O'Neill she had spoken to on the sub. "Fine. Holding up, I guess."

"Right."

"Why do you ask? It seemed like you didn't care about what we were telling you."

"I had some time to think. This can't be easy for you, being here."

"And being able to do nothing. Yeah, it's been tough. I'm not the type of person to sit around the house."

"I know," Jack mumbled.

"But I can't really do anything about it, so…"

The awkward silence descended on the table once again.

"Your son," Sam finally said. "He must be about eighteen now."

Jack shook his head. "He's nine."

"Oh," Sam replied. By her calculations, Charlie would be in his late teens.

"Nobody told you, did they?"

"Nobody told me what?"

Jack hesitated as he ran his hands through his hair again. "You- the other you- and I were…"

Sam had a feeling that she knew what Jack was about to say, but it did not make it any easier for her to hear.

"We were… married."

"Married?"

Jack nodded.

"So your son is…"

"Her son too. He was five when she died."

"I'm so sorry." Sam wasn't sure what she was apologizing for: sympathy at his wife's death or guilt for putting him through the pain of having to see her. "This must be hard for you. I'll go," she said, standing up.

"No, stay," Jack said, surprising Sam.

Sam sat back down.

Jack took his wallet out and opened it onto a picture. He put it down on the table so that Sam could see. It was her- the other her- holding her newborn son. "We met at a party that NASA threw about eleven years ago. She'd just joined. We started dating and got married the next year. And then we had him," Jack said, pointing at the baby in the picture.

"What's his name?" Sam asked, not taking her eyes off of the picture. She looked so happy…

"Jacob," Jack answered. "After-"

"Dad," Sam whispered. She wanted to ask about her father, but she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer. After all, if he was alive, she couldn't very well go and see him.

"Yeah."

"Who takes care of him when you're away?"

"Sam's brother, Mark."

Sam smiled at the thought. She and her brother had been getting along in this timeline.

Jack took his wallet back and looked at the picture. "She didn't want to go." At Sam's questioning look, he elaborated. "On the mission. She didn't want to leave Jake."

"But you told her to go."

Jack scrutinized Sam for a moment. "Yeah. She would still be here-"

"You can't blame yourself," Sam said automatically. "Whatever she said, it was her dream. She let you talk her into it."

"Nothing was supposed to go wrong. She was always the one who knew what to do. At NASA, with Jake…"

"I'm sure you're a good father."

Jack raised his eyebrow at her.

"In my timeline, you had a son too. He loved you."

"The one who died?"

Sam nodded, immediately regretting bringing up Charlie. "His death was an accident."

"I can't imagine what he must have gone through."

Over the past two years, he had opened up to her and told her more about Charlie. She had some idea. "It's not something you ever really get over. He's been through a lot, the you in my timeline."

"Doesn't sound like it was much of a life," Jack mumbled.

Sam nodded. She had heard stories of what Jack was like when he had first been recruited to the Stargate program. "He had a heard time dealing with it. But it was a long time ago, and he's come to terms with it."

Jack nodded.

"In my timeline, you were my commanding officer for eight years. We got together after we were out of the same chain of command. But we were happy."

"Can't you see that I can't think about that?" Jack asked loudly. As heads turned towards them, Jack leaned in and continued more quietly. "I loved my wife, and I miss her. But I have my kid to think of too. And I can't think about that other timeline and about how you're alive and you and he are together. I'm not about to give up my son so that the three of you can get back to your old lives."

"I understand that, believe me." Sam looked into the familiar brown eyes that were not her Jack's. "I get that it's not fair of us to ask. But you have to understand something too. It took us a long time to defeat the Goa'uld, and that was with access to a Stargate. Here, in this timeline, the Goa'uld are coming, and we have nothing with which to defend ourselves. So I can't sit back and do nothing."

"What choice do you have?"

"Right now, I can make sure that I don't forget where I came from and what we've done. And I will make sure that _my_ husband didn't die in vain." A stab of pain went through her heart as an image of Jack as he lay dying entered her mind.

"I can't help you. You know that, right?"

Sam nodded. "I understand. And I'm sure that, deep down, you understand where I'm coming from."

Jack shrugged. "I don't even know if I believe in this whole alternate timeline thing."

"You do. Because you know that I'm not her."

With that, Sam stood. "It was nice seeing you again. Take care." She glanced down at the wallet that was still sitting on the table. "And take care of him."

She turned and walked out of the coffee shop, more determined than ever to ensure that the Goa'uld did not attack this Earth. She would just have to figure out how.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed Chapter 1. The following is the same story, but from alternate Jack's perspective. I'll be honest, I have no idea what kind of toys are new and appeal to young boys, so I'm not sure if there's some inaccuracy there. Other than that, this was a fun and interesting story to write. (Sad, I know, but an interesting character study all the same.)

I hope that you enjoy it as well. As always, feedback is appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the following story. The story also contains lines from _Stargate: Continuum_.

* * *

Jack O'Neill peered into the toy store window, looking to see if the crowd was too large for him to find what he was looking for in a reasonable amount of time. He knew that Jake wanted the new X-box, and Jack had vowed to himself that he would do everything possible to make this Christmas the best that Jake had ever had. It had been too long since Jack had been able to spend Christmas with his son.

_Eleven years ago, your son shot himself…_ As much as he tried not to think about it, those words reverberated in his head. He found that he was constantly telling himself, _Jake's fine_. He couldn't imagine why that Jackson guy had said anything so insensitive. _Well…_ Jack thought. _Unless they really are from-_ But Jack didn't know if he could believe that it was true, even with everything that he had seen.

The store was full of people, but he could see the X-Box boxes stacked in a corner behind a counter. The salesman was already looking harried, but Jack decided that it would be better to get the gift now, so that he would not have to fight for it later.

Just as he was about to take a step towards the door, he caught the glimpse of a familiar blonde head in the store window. He turned and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Sam Carter, just as it had the first time.

She had just turned away from a store window, and she looked like she had been crying. But he knew that she saw him too.

Jack knew that going over to her would be a bad idea. He did not need the pain. But, as always, something drew him to Samantha Carter. It had when he first met his Sam. And when this other Carter had shown up, he had known, though he didn't necessarily believe, that it was her, even though all he had seen were her eyes.

Jack walked over to Sam. She looked the same, despite the glasses, as the woman who he had lost four years earlier. But she was not the same. Her face was more battle-hardened and her blue eyes had less light in them than his Sam. Jack could see that she was not happy here.

"Hi," he said as he neared her.

"Hi," she responded, though she avoided looking directly at him.

Sam looked as if she was about to cry again, and Jack had no idea how to respond.

Finally, she looked back at him and asked him what he was doing there. Jack was taken aback. She sounded as if she thought that she belonged there. "I could ask you the same think," he retorted.

She explained that she lived in the area. He answered that he was looking for a present for his son.

Against his better judgment, he knew that he wanted to talk to her. He didn't admit to himself that it was because he was curious and because he missed his Sam.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you," Sam said.

Jack dismissed this. The Air Force could hardly expect two people who had met before to not talk if they bumped into each other. At least, that was what he would say if asked. He led the way to a coffee house close by.

"What do you want to talk about?" Sam asked after they had found a table in the far corner of the place.

She did not seem comfortable with this at all. "How are you?" he asked.

"Fine. Holding up, I guess."

He flinched when she accused him of not caring before. He had tried not to, when his world was being shaken by their arrival. But he was trying to be fair now.

"I had some time to think. This can't be easy for you," he said.

"And being able to do nothing. It's been tough. I'm not the type of person to sit around the house."

Jack remembered well. Sam was always doing something, whether it was working on an upcoming shuttle mission or playing with Jake.

As the awkward silence descended upon the table, Jack considered the woman sitting across from him. It was true that he was hurting, seeing her, but she had lost everything and everyone that she had ever known. And, from what he had been told, she had been forbidden from working on anything in her own fields of expertise. She had to be feeling truly alone.

She brought him out of his thoughts when she asked about his son. _Eleven years ago…_ he heard Jackson in his head.

Would it be wise to tell her? What would she think? He had no idea what kind of relationship she had with the Jack that she had known. But he could not think of what else to say. He shook his head. "He's nine."

"Oh."

Jack's suspicions were confirmed. She had no idea that they had been married. He hesitated before telling her.

"Married?" she asked.

Jack nodded. He could see her making the connection.

"So your son is…"

"Her son too. He was five when she died." He remembered all too well sitting on the couch with Jake as they watched the failed mission. He sincerely hoped that it was something that Jake would never remember.

"I'm so sorry. This must be hard for you. I'll go."

Jack saw the pain in her eyes. He had to know. "No, stay," he said.

Sam sat back down. Jack opened his wallet to the picture of his Sam holding the newborn Jake. He showed it to her as he explained how they had met.

"What's his name?" Sam asked.

"Jacob."

After Sam's dad. He had died a year before Jake had been born, content to see his daughter join NASA. His Sam had said that she felt that going on the Intrepid mission was a way to honor her father's memory.

"Who takes care of him when you're away?" Sam asked.

"Sam's brother Mark," Jack replied as he took the wallet back. He looked down at his smiling wife. "She didn't want to go." He looked up and saw Sam's questioning expression. "On the mission. She didn't want to leave Jake. But…"

"You told her to go," Sam finished.

Jack looked up at her. She knew him, just as his wife had. "Yeah. She would still be here-"

Sam interrupted him. "You can't blame yourself. Whatever she said, it was her dream. She let you talk her into it."

Jack blinked. All he could think was that he had taken Sam away from his family. From their son… He looked down at the picture. "Nothing was supposed to go wrong," he said, more to himself than to Sam. He looked back at her. "She was always the one who knew what to do. At NASA… with Jake…"

"I'm sure you're a good father."

Jack raised an eyebrow at her.

"In my timeline, you had a son too. He loved you."

This was it. This is what Jack had been wondering about the most. "The one who died?" he asked.

Sam nodded. "It was an accident."

Jack could not fathom what it would be like to lose a child. He did not want to.

"He's been through a lot, the you in my timeline," Sam said.

"Doesn't sound like it was much of a life," Jack said, as he considered the pain that her Jack had to have gone through.

"He had a heard time dealing with it. But he's come to terms with it."

Jack nodded, though he was only partially attending. It was hitting him that she really had experienced a different lifetime.

"In my timeline, you were my commanding officer for eight years. We got together after we were out of the same chain of command. But we were happy."

She had answered his second question. They had been together in her timeline. "Can't you see that I can't think about that?" Jack asked loudly. When he noticed heads turning in their direction, he continued softly. Restoring her timeline would not solve anything for him. He had Jake to think about. Jake was the most important thing in his life, and he would do nothing to risk losing his son.

"I understand, believe me," Sam said. It was the first time that she made direct eye contact with him. He stared into the blue eyes that were not his wife's. "I get that it's not fair of us to ask. But you have to understand something too." She explained about the Goa'uld in her timeline. "So I can't sit back and do nothing."

"What choice do you have?" Jack could not see what she and the two others could do under the circumstances.

"Right now, I can make sure that I don't forget where I came from and what we've done. And I will make sure that my husband didn't die in vain."

Jack was taken aback. It had not really occurred to him that her husband had died before they had come. Still, he couldn't do anything to help her.

"I understand. And I'm sure that, deep down, you understand where I'm coming from."

Jack shrugged. "I don't even know if I believe in this whole alternate timeline thing."

"You do. Because you know that I'm not her." She stood. Jack was shocked at how well she knew him. Apparently, he was not so different from her own Jack. "It was nice seeing you again. Take care. And take care of him," she said, pointing to the picture of Jake.

She left. Jack watched her walk away. Regardless of what he hoped, he had the feeling that she would find a way to restore her timeline, and he wished her happiness if and when she did. But for now, he was determined to spend as much time with his son as possible.


End file.
